(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to measuring the forces on one end of a cable. More specifically, this invention deals with a cable load transducer which is ideally suited for measuring loads, moments and torque at a constrained end of a cable created by the action of the cable in the fluid medium in which the cable is suspended.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
It is well known that commercially available strain gage devices are generally designed for measuring a single component of force or torque. Such devices measure either axial tension, bending moments, or torsion. When used at the attached or constrained end of a cable suspended in a fluid medium, these devices can be used to measure individual components of the load vector acting on the attached end of the cable. Such information may be useful in measuring loads, moments and torque on the cable created by an object under test being towed through the medium by the cable. The information obtained on the components of the load vector by these devices is not sufficient to quantify the load vector resulting from the combination of lift, drag and weight of the cable. Furthermore, these forces and moments acting on the cable can give rise to instabilities or a non-steady state load vector that cannot be accurately measured as a function of time with prior art strain gage technologies.